7 out of 10 startup workers agree on the need for flexibility in the 52-hour workweek

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Ji-eun = It was found that 7 out of 10 startup workers think that the current 52-hour workweek needs to be reformed more flexibly.

The Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO) announced on the 28th that this was the result of an online survey conducted on 324 people, including 173 startup CEOs and C-level people and 151 general employees, from the 13th to the 26th of last month.

According to the survey results, 76% of all respondents answered that the 52-hour workweek system “should be reformed flexibly.”

By rank, 92.2% of CEOs and C-level employees and 61.3% of general employees voted in favor of the need for reorganization, with both sides receiving more than a majority.

The percentage of employees who chose to maintain the current status was 38.7%, and 7.8% of CEOs and C-level employees.

The focus on work that is unique to startups was also notable.

73.1% of all respondents revealed that they had experienced limited work of up to 52 hours a week at some time in the past year.

The reasons for the rush of work at a particular time were due to product/service launch deadline (56.4%) and concentration on research and development (R&D) (16.9%), which accounted for 73.3% of the cases.

Regarding the impact of the 52-hour workweek system on management, 75.1% of CEOs and C-level executives responded, “It has had a substantial impact.”

As for specific cases (multiple responses, etc.), the most common was “CEOs and executives directly performing excessive work” (35.8%), followed by “Delay in delivery and release schedule” (17.9%) and “Response to hiring additional personnel” (16.2%).

It was found that the special overtime work authorization system, which was introduced to be used in emergencies, does not actually work in the field.

Among the CEO and C-level respondents who applied for approval, 72.3% responded that they did not know the system itself, and among the 27.7% (48 people) who were aware of the system, there was no actual experience of using it (0%).

Cospo Chairman Kim Jae-won said, “The key is to expand autonomy so that working hours can be operated more flexibly according to the work characteristics of startups and member situations,” and emphasized, “Improvement of the system should not be aimed at making people work longer, but rather in the direction of proactively choosing working hours and methods, but having the necessary protections in place.”

COSPO plans to deliver a report containing the results of this investigation to relevant ministries and the National Assembly and actively express on-site opinions in discussions on system reform.